Bobcats Use 3rd Period Surge to Take 4th Straight Win
FPHL Blue Ridge Bobcats

Bobcats Use 3rd Period Surge to Take 4th Straight Win

Published on January 16, 2026 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL)
Blue Ridge Bobcats News Release


WYTHEVILLE, VA - Before a season-high crowd of 2,312 in the first home game at Hitachi Energy Arena in just over a month, the Blue Ridge Bobcats potted a pair of unanswered goals in the first 4:32 of the final frame to surge to a 4-3 win over the Twin City Thunderbirds and their fourth consecutive victory.

The Thunderbirds scored the first and only goal of the opening frame, as Zach White finished off a 2-on-1 break with Roman Kraemer off a turnover forced by Richard Durina, who picked up an assist on the play in his team debut.

Nikita Kozyrev, the game's second star, finished off the first of two Bobcats man advantage markers on the evening when he one-touched home a cross crease feed from Mike Mercurio to tie the game at 1 just three minutes into the middle frame.

In a a back-and-forth affair between two of the league's most evenly matched teams and fiercest rivals, each club traded chances and each punch was countered by the opposition. Twin City moved ahead 2-1 thanks to a turnover my Robin Eriksson in front of Anthony Shrum, who was beaten five-hole by Thunderbirds captain Jon Buttitta just under 6 minutes into the second period.

Exactly five minutes later, Daniel Klinecky held the offensive blueline by inches, then found Brandon Reller down the far wing. Reller ripped a rinkwide pass to Carson Andreoli who finished off the beautiful passing display to tie the game back up at 2. The Thunderbirds answered with nearly indefensible passing of their own just under three minutes later with Roman Kraemer converting on the power play to give Twin City a 3-2 lead headed to period three.

The Bobcats would get the final two punches in the heavyweight 60 minute bout. Exactly two minutes into the final frame, 'Cats captain Danny Martin clapped home a slap shot blast just as a power play was expiring and knotted things up at 3. 2:32 later, Filip Hlavac secured the eventual game winning goal stealing the puck at center, powering down the far wing and backhanding a shot off the stick of Boris Babik and into the back of the net.

Babik did everything he could and more for the 'Birds in net, stopping 58 of a whopping 62 Blue Ridge shots. Shrum survived a late Twin City flurry of shots, stopping 25 of 28 en route to his fourth straight win in net for the Bobcats.

Mercurio secured third star honors for assisting on Kozyrev's 2nd period PPG, while Kozyrev earned second star for that goal and his assist on Hlavac's GWG. Daniel Klinecky assisted on 3 of the Bobcats 4 goals in the game, garnering him first star honors in the contest.

Both teams return to action tomorrow night at 7:30 PM at Hitachi Energy Arena for the St Jude Showdown/Hockey Fights Cancer benefit game.

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Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from January 16, 2026


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